A Birthday Wish
by The-Caitiff
Summary: An old Pureblood ComingofAge ritual goes slightly wrong leaving Harry Potter to try to deal with a life that is irrevocably changed. Who knew blowing out a candle and making a wish could lead to this? Pairings TBA, UPDATED RARELY!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer; Harry Potter and related characters and settings are the intellectual properties of JK Rowling. Certain aspects of this story are my own invention but no money is being made from them.

_A\N; This is a short teaser for something that bubbled through my head a while back. I was reading through some of my notes on Obeah and Rootwork (two related American/Caribbean magical traditions) when I found a reference to the spell/ritual/plot device below. I thought it would be nice to see this kind of detail or attention to detail given to fanfic and wanted to see how well it would work. _

_Most of the Wishing Candle ritual is genuine Obeah but I spiced it up a bit here or there. The herbal correspondances especially are true and tied into both magical traditions and herbalism as a whole. Read it through and let me know if you think this kind of "real world" magic should be written into fanfic more often. I've been considering a longer AU fic after I finally finish the stories I've got that would incorporate a lot of western esotericism and magical tradition, but I don't know if people would like the more "thinky" style. (It definitely won't be this story though.) _

_This will be updated very rarely as the muse/alcohol inspires me but it's far from a priority. _

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If most people were told of the life of Harry Potter thus far and asked to describe how he should be doing as his sixteenth birthday approached, they might describe a deeply troubled and depressed young man, or perhaps an angry violent sociopath waiting for someone to twitch. They'd almost all be wrong. The loss of his Godfather was tragic and senseless, but young men are very flexible. He mourned, remembered the good times, and moved on.

And yet, as midnight of July thirtieth approached, Harry was laying awake in his room. He wasn't depressed, nor was he angry at the world. In truth, Harry was a very lonely young man. His friends' letters basically amounted to excuses why they couldn't talk to him, and begging him to "let it all out." He didn't necessarily need to talk about the war, or what the Order was up to. Just a few friendly words from someone he loved would have made a world of difference.

The clock beside his bed read eleven thirty when Harry picked up the book he had borrowed from the library at Hogwarts. The book was full of pureblood history and traditions, fairly biased and ignorant but still interesting. Initially Harry checked it out so that he could argue intelligently about things he had little exposure to, but the more he read the more he wondered why no one ever told him these things. Most of the traditions that he found were simple but after reading through them he decided he would probably pass them on to his children.

One such thing he found was that it was common to throw a party or have a small celebration when a child had his first brush with accidental magic. Families saw magical children as a good omen, that the family's fortune would increase, and confirming that your child was a witch or wizard therefore something to be proud of. It almost explained why Neville's Great-uncle acted like he did, almost. The family was in tatters and it's survival hinged on Neville, if he were a squib their place in society might be lost through inaction. Harry still thought tossing a child out a window and hoping for magic was barbaric, but he understood how it happened in a twisted sort of way.

The other "coming of age" type tradition was not too dissimilar from muggle traditions. Basically it was the same idea as making a wish when you blew out a birthday candle, but with a touch of magic involved. The ritual could be done on any birthday, some families thought one age or another was significant, but was usually only done once. A wish wasn't guaranteed to come true, but with magic involved you never knew.

Harry had decided that regardless of what the laws about underage magic said, he was going make a wish.

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_The Wishing Candle is one of the last pieces of true Blood Magic in common use among modern wizards. It is used on whichever birthday family traditions find most significant to draw good fortune and favor to the wisher. There are many reports of people actually getting their wishes from this tradition, but many more of having no result whatsoever. The effectiveness of this ritual is therefore rarely taken seriously, though the symbolism and tradition is fairly universal. _

_In the week before the birthday, the candle is made. Into a small pewter cauldron, one and one half pints of the magician's blood is warmed over a low flame started with a lit cinnamon stick. When drawing the blood with a silver knife, the wizard must focus himself and allow his magic to flow from his body along with his blood. The emotions he felt during this drawing will color and flavor the wish if it is granted. It is because of this that it is essential that the wizard control his emotions during this part of the ritual. Someone who is suicidal and wishes for peace may very well find it in a tragic way. Three stems of mugwort are finely chopped and added to the blood while it is stirred counterclockwise for three minutes. Mugwort inspires very light euphoria, it represents the wizard's hope. It is then allowed to brew for one hour while the other ingredients are prepared. This mixing of blood, magic, and hope must not be disturbed. _

_Three burdock roots are powdered and sprinkled across the still surface to purify the blood before three dandelion heads are added whole. Three grams of Valerian root should be ground between stones. This represents childhood dreams being crushed by the twin stones of duty and honor. Allow this mixture to simmer very slightly for a number of hours equal to the wizard's age in years before proceeding. _

_Finally thinly slice a piece of ginger root three times as thick as the wizard's thumb. Ginger will stimulate the blood and set light to the fire of magic with its spice. Once the ginger has had a chance to soften, add the wax from three slim candles and stir until everything is incorporated. By this time the blood mixture should be thick and will not prevent the wax from hardening when the candle is made. _

_Each of the candle wicks should be handled with care. The wizard should think about his father and allow three drops of blood to soak the first, think of himself and drip on the second, and think of his mother for the last. The wicks should be braided together and placed upright in a tall narrow vessel. Pour the potion from the cauldron into the candle mold and center the wicks, the candle will cool and harden unnaturally fast so it should be done quickly. _

_On the wizard's birthday he will go off by himself to perform the ritual. Though this is an important ritual it is also a deeply personal one and the wishing should be done without fear of voicing a "silly" wish. The wizard must place his wand over his heart and voice his dearest wish, drawing on that passion. The tip of his wand will glow and should be used to light the candle with the fires of his heart. The candle will be consumed quickly as the blood recognizes its own magic and heart's desire. If the wizard is truly lucky he may receive some sign that his wish might come true one day. _

_It is easy to notice that this ritual emphasizes the power of three repeatedly. It is indicative of the past, present, and future, or blood, magic, and fire, or two parents and their love for their child. Some families continue this theme by making sure that the number three is somehow included in when the candle is lit and the wish made. _

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As midnight approached, Harry took his candle out of his trunk and opened his window in case there was any smoke. The Dursleys had been very irate when the smell of hot blood began wafting out of his room last week, but just as Vernon went to pound on the door to complain, Harry opened it holding the bloody silver knife and having his left arm covered in blood. He was just going to clean up and put a little gauze on the cut near his elbow of course, but his relatives took it entirely different and had left him alone after that. They secretly feared he would come after them in the dead of night with that knife and soon it would be their blood boiling in a wizard's cauldron.

Harry looked at his watch and counted down the seconds until his sixteenth birthday. He sat in front of his bed with the candle and his wand in front of him. As the clock struck midnight Harry stood and placed his wand over his heart. He drew a deep breath and searched his heart for the one thing he really wanted. When he found it, it sent shivers down his spine and he knew his wish.

"I wish I had someone around who really understood what it meant to be me, and the things I have to deal with." On impulse, Harry remembered the part at the end of the books description about the power of three and repeated the wish and tapping his heart twice more. Each time he said the wish his wand glowed brighter and it hurt to look at it as he lowered the wand to his Wishing Candle.

At first, the wicks burned about as brightly as a normal candle, but once the wax began melting the flame leapt several feet into the air. It formed a small pillar of red and green flame, but burned cleanly with no smoke. The candle gave one last flare of flames as the last of the blood and wax was consumed. Out of that final burst of flames galloped a stag made from the fire. It reared up on its hind legs and hung majestically in the air for a few brief seconds before it came crashing down. When it came down, it kicked Harry squarely in the chest with its front hoof, knocking him unconscious and back onto his bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer; I don't own Harry Potter. I used to own a fifth of Tom Sims Bourbon but it heroically sacrificed itself by jumping down my throat so this story could be brought back from the dead.

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As Harry slowly woke up, a few things filtered into his mind. The first was that the day was well underway, given how the bright sunlight invaded his room. The second was that there was an owl on his nightstand that was looking at him with an annoyed expression. Apparently it didn't like being ignored. It was as he reached over to free the letter and send the owl on its way, Harry noticed the third unusual thing for the morning. His bed was very warm. Deciding to investigate later Harry opened his letter, a bit unnerved to see the Ministry seal in the wax.

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Mr. Potter

We at the ministry of magic wish to offer our good wishes on this the day of your birth. According to our sensors you completed the Wishing Candle ritual just after midnight on July 31st. While normally we at the ministry are forced to discourage underage magic use, we understand that some Pureblood Families have coming of age traditions that predate these laws. For this reason it is procedure in such cases to allow young people to practice their magic when in the company of their family or family friends while these traditions are taking place. However we remind you that tomorrow the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Magic will still apply and magic use in non-life threatening situations will be prohibited.

Best wishes,

Mafalda Hopkirk

Ministry of Magic

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Harry breathed a sigh of relief that he would not be getting into trouble and flopped backwards on his bed. Doing so forced him to realize the fourth unusual thing for the morning, there was someone else in his bed! The other person shrieked loudly and started pummeling him with her fists as best she could. With a crash Harry rolled off the bed towards the door and dove across the floor to grab his wand from where it had fallen the night before.

The other person also scrambled for a wand and within moments Harry and his surprise visitor found themselves laying on the floor together, each with their wands digging into the other's throat. Green met Green as two black haired combatants with glasses tried to decide what to do next. Aunt Petunia's shrill voice carried through the house and she yelled about freaks and started coming up the stairs. Both combatants moved almost imperceptibly as they heard her at the end of the hall. Just as the door was about to be flung open, Harry rolled over and shot a stunner this caught his aunt before she could take stock of the situation. This proved to be his undoing however as the young woman he'd found in his bed put her wand to the back of his neck.

"Drop the wand or we'll see if I can cast a decent cutting curse," she commanded. Harry reluctantly complied. "Now on your feet, and put your hands on top of your head."

Harry did as he was told and she grabbed his wand from the floor. She gave him a quick frisk from behind as she looked for a spare wand or portkey. When she grabbed his crotch, Harry decided there were limits to acceptable paranoia, "Don't I get dinner and a movie first?"

"Shut up! Now tell me your name and what the hell you're doing in my bed!"

"Your bed? Look you've got to be confused. I live here, I'm Harry Potter," He insisted.

"Bollocks, try again," she pressed the point of her wand into the back of his neck briefly to remind him who was in charge.

"I'm telling the truth! If I show you my scar will you believe me?"

"You better explain real quick what you're doing here or there will be worlds of hurt coming your way. Did the twins put you up to this? Who gave you polyjuice with my hair in it?"

Sensing who ever this was wasn't going to listen to reason, Harry dropped to the floor kicking back with his feet while he caught himself with his hands. It was something he'd discovered after years of Harry Hunting that generally knocked his attackers off guard. It worked as planned and the young woman fell on top of him and Harry quickly rolled to put himself on top of her, using his knees to pin her arms to the floor as he straddled her chest. He pulled his bangs to the side and displayed his scar to the girl. "Real enough for you?"

The girl looked up at him in shock. As soon as she stopped struggling Harry eased off of her a bit, making sure to take the wands. Without a word, she just put her hand to her head and moved her black curls to reveal an identical scar. With a bit of wonder in her voice she asked again, "Who are you?"

"I told you. I am Harry James Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, Hero of the Wizarding World, Honorary Member of the Dark Arts Defense League, and various other rubbish depending on who you listen to. Who are you?"

"Harry Jasmine Potter, Girl-Who-Lived and all that other stuff."

"Ok, we've got a problem…" Harry helped the other Harry up off the floor and shut the door on his nosey aunt. After thinking about it for a second he scribbled a quick note to place on his door before they sat down to figure everything out.

_"Relatives- _

_As you may have discerned from the lack of owls and angry wizards threatening to expel me, I am now able to do magic. Do not enter my room. Do not bother me. Do not expect me to do any more chores. I can and will curse you. _

_-HJP" _

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"Ok, so let me get this straight. Voldemort in our first year, snake in our second, Sirius in third, the tournament, and a prophecy, did I miss anything?" Harry James asked.

"Apparently we both blew out candles and made a wish last night too," Harry Jasmine threw out, looking over the short personal histories they'd written to compare. "What did you wish for?"

"Someone who could understand me, you?"

"The same. I guess we got our wish, who better to understand our troubles than ourselves?" She considered her options.

"Well at least we know one thing that is constant between both of our lives." James said slowly.

"All of that and you say there is only one constant?"

"Yep, Mum's love/hate relationship with us."

"What? She died to save us, how is that a love/hate relationship?"

"Yeah but she named you Harry first, definitely not a pureblood name so it wasn't Dad. Harriet I could understand, and then maybe shorten it to Harry. Instead she goes straight to Harry, just like she didn't call me Harold. Harold's a name with dignity, but imagine a fifty year old man named Harry. All my life people are going to expect either a kid or someone 'young at heart'. It's hard to get respect with a little kid's name."

"Hmm, I just thought it was the drugs they gave her to make the childbirth easier. She probably wasn't thinking straight. But you're ignoring the real problem here. There are now two of us, that's twice the target and twice the likelihood of something weird happening."

"You don't think this qualifies as weird?" James sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I'm ignoring it because I don't know what to do. If we go to Dumbledore and the Order for help, there will be no way to avoid the astronomical amount of attention a second Harry Potter will generate. We'll both effectively be prisoners behind all sorts of protections and guards. If we try to keep this a secret we might be able to swing some freedom but… Well we're not exactly the Twins here."

"That's it, the Twins!"

"Huh?"

"Do the Twins run a joke shop here? I helped my Twins start one after the Tournament so they definitely owe me some favors."

"Yeah I did the same, do you think they can help?" James asked hopefully.

"At the very least they know all about living in stereo," she pointed out. "Besides, if they can't help or try to ask the Order for help, it's so absurd that no one will believe them until after we've had time to run for it."

"You'd rather run than have the world know about us?"

Jasmine looked torn as she thought about how to answer, "We both know what will end up happening. You can barely sneeze without half the Wizarding world saying 'bless you' or complaining that you've got bogies on their best robes. It would only get worse if there are two of us. I don't know if I can take it getting any worse than it already is."

He nodded sympathetically, "I know, but if we can somehow stick this out it will only be half as bad for each of us. Or if you want, you could go be someone entirely different. Take a new name, start over, and just be normal. This isn't your world and it isn't your Voldemort; I would not blame you if you just walked off."

"Oh hell no, you can't keep me out of the fight that easily!" She protested and grabbed him in a hug. "If you're going to fight I'll be right there by your side."

"Oh yeah, you're definitely me," James laughed as he extricated himself from the hug. "So you're going to the Twins to ask for their help? What are you planning to tell them?"

"Why am I going? And why not just tell them the truth?"

"It's obvious you have to go. The Order will never let me out of this house without someone following me and you'll need some clothes and things anyway. It doesn't look like your trunk came with you. You take the vault key and the cloak, and I'll go for a walk to the park. Once I've got the Order following me you escape under the cloak and take the muggle train to London. When you come back, set off one of the Twins' rockets and I'll take another walk so you can slip back in. As for why not tell the truth, I thought that was obvious. If they know everything we might as well involve the Order and the ministry because it's way too big to hide."

She mulled it over for a bit before coming up with something, "I'll tell them we got a cursed object in the mail. If they think this is all temporary and that we might be able to get back into one body they'll be more likely to help cover everything up."

"And what do we want them to help with exactly? What is our plan?"

"Short term I'd like to keep as many people in the dark as possible. In the long term, live as normal a life as we'll ever be allowed."

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Getting to the Leaky Cauldron was very easy once the Order was out of the way. Harry just had to catch a bus to the nearest train station and then rode the Southern line all the way into London before hopping on the Tube to get to Charing Cross Road. She slipped the invisibility cloak over her and walked right through the Cauldron to the back courtyard. The wizards inside saw nothing at all odd about the doors opening and closing on their own. Almost anyone who attended Hogwarts had seen something weirder at one point or another.

Getting into the Twins' shop unnoticed was another thing all together. She had no trouble finding it, it was painted pink after all, but when she opened the door a hail of glitter and confetti showered down over the invisibility cloak. Looking around it was obvious that everyone else had received the same treatment and that they were looking right at her since she was now a glitter covered shape.

"Oi, you!" One of the twins pointed right at her, his tag said Fred but that wasn't a guarantee. "You can't wear that in here, we'll not have spies or thieves taking advantage of all our hard work and creativity."

Harry reached into her pocket and pulled out the note Harry had given her for introduction. When Fred came over to kick her out she slipped her hand out of the cloak long enough for him to see the letter. He took it and read it without complaint.

_"Fred and George, _

_I'm in a bit of a pickle but Merlin help me you two are the only ones that can help so I'm calling in my favors. The bearer of this note will explain but for now just trust me that everything is alright. Hopefully you've got a back room or somewhere you can talk quietly. It's going to sound really weird but it's all true. Under no circumstances should you call the Order. We'd like to get through this with as little fuss as possible. _

_HJP" _

Fred nodded to Harry and indicated she should follow him. Once they got behind the counter, he called for Lee to come mind the front and opened a door back into their workshop.

"Hey George, Harry needs our help and he sent someone to explain. Apparently it's something big." Fred called his brother away from the potions bubbling in the corner and reached into an ice chest for some butterbeers. Once everyone had taken a seat and a butterbeer, Fred motioned to Harry who was still under the cloak. "Well, go ahead and explain whatever brought you here."

"There's no good way to explain so I'll just show you. I woke up this morning to find I had a bit of a problem," Harry dropped the cloak and watched the Twins' eyes bug out slightly.

"We didn't do it!" They both yelled together.

"I know that. The problem is that there are two of me now, and as you can see we aren't exactly the same. We think someone sent us a cursed artifact but we know that we are both the real Harry Potter. There are a few things I've never told anyone but we both know about. We think we can fix it if we have enough time but until then we can't deal with it if the whole world blows it out of proportion," She shrugged helplessly. "So what do you think we should do?"

"Cool so you got yourself a twin of your own now. The question is are you the good twin or the bad twin?" Fred quipped. Then he and George turned and whispered to each other for a few moments and Harry noticed a few hand gestures that she couldn't quite decipher. Eventually Fred had to ask, "Is it the whole Order you don't trust or just Dumbledore and Snape?"

"We don't really want anyone to know but if it came down to it, I guess we could accept help from anyone but those two. Dumbledore and I…" She had to hunt around for the right words, "It's complicated but sometimes I just feel like he's so busy watching out for the rest of the world that he never considers my feelings."

"Ok we can understand that. How about this then, we kind of sort of let people know what happened but not really?" George offered while Fred was busy scribbling something down on a piece of parchment.

"What do you mean? How can you sort of reveal this?"

"What if Fred and I took the blame for this? We'll say one of the experimental pranks we sent you for your birthday went wrong somehow and left you constantly changing between genders. In reality the two of you take turns being Harry while the other is working to find out what happened. Let us hammer out a few details, this is going to be one of the greatest pranks ever!"

"Thanks, I need to go get a few things anyway, new clothes and whatnot. Do you two have anything I can use as a disguise while I'm out in the Alley?"

George went over to a one of the shelves and searched among the little boxes for a moment and came back with a few candies. "Sloe Gin Twins, they're still experimental but they seem to work. They're made with trace amounts of polyjuice so as long as you have one in your mouth you'll look like one of us. Once the candy is done or if you spit it out the effects last about five minutes. Incidentally they're probably what we're going to blame for the accident."

"Ah, perfect idea brother mine!" Fred yelled from his planning table.

"Thanks guys, I really don't know what I'd do without you." Harry hugged both twins and took the candy before almost skipping out the door, leaving the Twins with the Cloak.

"Is it just me or is Harry a lot more huggy than he used to be?" Fred asked.

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A/N; Sorry about this. I sat down last night after dinner and started writing the next chapter of Master but long about the fourth glass of Bourbon I got distracted and this came out. The first part was written back in early January and I wasn't really intending to take it anywhere it was just something I tinkered with. But then I was drunk and saw it in my writing folder and one thing led to another. Why does it sound like I'm trying to explain after being caught in a sultry love affair? Well anyway you can all rest assured the Bourbon is punishing me worse than you guys could.


	3. Chapter 3

Jasmine came back from her trip not only with clothing and other essentials but a small care package from the Twins including an outline for their plan. The two Harry's read through it and picked out which portions they'd work through. They decided that Professor McGonagall needed to be "in the know" for the public version for various reasons. First of all as head of Gryffindor she could get them a separate room at Hogwarts. They knew that two people would be instantly recognizable in the dorms, but logically the staff couldn't put a girl in the guy's dorm, nor the reverse. They would just play on the fact that they were both to skip the need for sneaking around.

Secondly Jasmine swore by her as a dependable female professor. James blanched at the idea that he'd have to ask his stern Head of House about the female facts of life but admitted that one of them would have to if they were going to claim to be swapping genders every few hours. Jasmine refused to take that task since she'd sat through that particular lecture already but promised him it would be "an interesting experience."

One of the gifts that the Twins sent along in their care package was to be the key to their freedom. Apparently the Twins had been fiddling with enchanting articles of clothing with various spell effects and had bribed someone at the supplier into selling them a genuine Unspeakable's cloak with the built in identity obscuring charms. They'd originally acquired it so they could figure out how to create one piece costumes, putting the hood up to create a full body glamour, but now it looked like it just might be their saving grace.

The other Harry would be wearing the cloak and they'd swap places whenever convenient. The Twins, along with the "Unspeakable" would be working tirelessly to correct the "accident" and would obviously need to be available at any time to help him/her. Trips to visit the Twins' shop by the Unspeakable would be expected as well.

Thoughts of Hogwarts inevitably meant thoughts of their friends and what to tell them about the situation. They felt bad about lying to their friends but ultimately they had to trust the Twins and stick to their story. If they told one person anything different from what another person knew, it would merely be a matter of time before someone started putting pieces together. And knowing Hermione she'd be the first to figure it out and her insatiable urge to know which if any version was right would bring the whole charade down around their ears. No, other than the "cursed artifact" story they'd handed the twins to work with there was only one version of truth. Even if everyone in the world decided they knew otherwise, there was only one truth.

As darkness fell that night, things got a little bit awkward. Both James and Jasmine glanced to the tiny bed occasionally as things started to wind down but neither was willing to broach the subject of sleeping arrangements. As midnight approached and the long day started to show they reached a decision. Gryffindors go forward.

"Listen about the..." They both started at the same time. Then looking at each other's pained faces they had to laugh.

"Go ahead," James choked out.

"Right," Jasmine sucked in a breath. "Well there's only one bed and two of us. I guess I don't mind sharing if you don't."

"No, no, that's fine."

"I wish we knew a spell so only we could open the door, maybe a password or something. We've got a little while left to try if you know of anything." Jasmine hooked her thumb at the door.

"Well we can always just stick the chair under the knob, but you're right a spell would make me feel safer." James scratched his chin a bit and gave a very feral smile. "I doubt we really have to worry though. I took advantage of this little holiday of the rules to educate our dear Aunt. Having the cord of her phone become a snake while the ottoman turned into a warthog and chased her onto the table gave her a fairly clear impression that I did not want to be messed with. Let's just do what we can and get some sleep."

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Now the only thing to do was wait, the plan said to wait a few days and send a few messages back and forth with the Twins to establish a believable pattern and timeframe. In the meantime Jasmine coached James on how to write a letter that would bring out the motherly side of their usually stone faced Head of House.

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_Professor McGonagall, _

_I'm sorry to bother you in the summer as I'm sure you are busy with getting everything ready at Hogwarts and helping out our mutual friends but I've got a major problem and I really don't know who else to turn to right now. A few days ago on my birthday something really odd happened and I need your help both as my Head of House and as a woman I trust. At first I thought the Weasley Twins were just playing a prank on me but now they've got the Unspeakables involved and well, it's just too embarrassing to explain in a letter. Could you visit me at my relatives house so we can talk? _

_Like I said I really don't know who to turn to right now. The Headmaster and I had a big disagreement at the end of term so I don't want to ask his help until he and I have had a chance to mend fences. Also the Unspeakable still thinks he can help me so I'd rather not become some sort of freak show for certain members of our friends to sneer at and taunt. I'm just going through a really hard time right now and everything is so confusing... If you can't help me I might try Tonks, or maybe Hermione's mother, but Mrs. Weasley would just be too much right now. I know I need a woman's help but I can't face my friends right now and she's always so intense. _

_I'm sorry about the tear splotches, my emotions are just running so high and they said something about hormones and I just need someone to talk to... Please let me know soon when I can expect you or if you can even come help me at all. _

_Yours truly, _

_Harry James Potter _

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The Potter clones got a letter almost immediately from Professor McGonagall assuring them that she would be over to visit them the day after they sent their message. Her note sounded so different from the Professor they knew, promising the strictest confidence and that whatever was wrong it wouldn't change her opinion one bit. Apparently Jasmine was right about how to pluck those maternal heartstrings. They decided that the initial visit wouldn't include the mysterious unspeakable, James would just hide under his invisibility cloak until they wanted to make a swap.

The next day, after Vernon had left for work and Dudley went to do whatever Dudley did, a slight pop announced Minerva McGonagall's arrival in the Dursleys' back yard. In just a few moments she was brushing aside Petunia's stuttering and very tense offers of hospitality and heading towards the second floor. She knocked politely on the door to the smallest bedroom and was a bit surprised to only see it open wide enough for the tip of a wand to protrude and hear a soft voice ask from the other side, "What do you always tell me you've grown used to seeing in your office?"

"The Quidditch Cup Mr. Potter," She replied primly. "May I come in?"

"Are you alone?"

"I promise that whatever you want to speak with me about will not go any farther. I came alone."

The door opened quickly and as soon as the older Professor was inside it was slammed shut.

"Mr. Potter, what is so…" McGonagall turned to look at Harry and was momentarily shocked to see a feminine face looking back. "Oh my word! Good heavens child what happened?"

"Have a seat and I'll tell you what we know," Jasmine gestured to the damaged chair the Dursleys had _so graciously_ provided. The professor took one look at the chair before transfiguring it into something more useful and comfortable. "I don't know exactly what happened but we've got a few ideas. The Weasley twins sent me a new sweet they were experimenting with for my birthday. The sweets had some polyjuice potion in them so that it would give me a disguise. I was trying one as I opened the rest of my birthday post, but one of the letters was cursed. The curse and the candy interfered with each other and now I keep switching genders every few hours."

"There are a few curses that can temporarily cause a person to change their gender," McGonagall said thoughtfully. "Do you still have the letter? I can take it to Madam Pomphrey, confidentially of course, and she might be able to help you. I dare say stranger things have happened but I know it is never easy to be the one experiencing such things."

"No ma'am, when the Weasley Twins heard about what happened they called someone they know who works for the ministry, an Unspeakable named Smith, and he took it to study. They say they've tried all the usual cures by now but they are still working." Jasmine looked at her feet while she said it, acting embarrassed to hide the fact that she was a horrible liar.

"Ah, yes you mentioned something about an Unspeakable in your letter but to be honest it was rather hard to understand. Not without good reason though as I see," McGonagall looked sympathetic as she patted Jasmine on the shoulder. "So what was it that you wanted to talk about? Is there something I can do for you?"

"Well there are three things I need help with and two of them are related. The twins and Mr. Smith have tried everything they know of to help me but nothing has worked so far, so they are going to have to create something else entirely. They say they don't know how long it will take, but that it could even be several months."

"Which means that they expect you to go to Hogwarts with your current... affliction. Harry, I'm afraid we can't just excuse you from school until they figure out how to help. As strange as this is there have been students who were worse off and they still went to class."

"Oh it's not that Professor," she promised, "it's just that I don't know what to do about living in the dorms. I'm not a girl, well maybe I am some of the time, so I can't sleep with them, and I'd feel really awkward sleeping with the guys if I suddenly sprout a pair of breasts in the middle of the night."

"I think I understand. We'll just have to find someplace else for you to sleep until this is all sorted out," McGonagall patted her shoulder. It was odd to hear a tone of motherly concern in her usually strict voice.

"Thank you Professor," Jasmine gushed. "It is bad enough I have to deal with this but I just don't know if I could take having my mates ogling me too."

"Not to mention the breach of propriety," the Deputy Headmistress sniffed. "It just wouldn't be right to ask a young lady to sleep in the same room as four young men. Now what else did you need my help with?"

James tapped Jasmine in the back to signal it was time to make a switch. With a groan and a gasp, Jasmine doubled over clutching her midsection. McGonagall moved to help her but she bolted from the room and left the door open. James brushed past in the hall and they entered the bathroom together.

"Here," James said quietly handed the invisibility cloak over. "I'm changing the plan and you might not want to listen."

"Why?" She hissed back.

"Just trust me, our plan to get out of here just went from iffy to a sure thing." He grunted and groaned loudly a few times. He splashed a bit of water on his face and breathed heavily as he made his way back into his room where McGonagall was waiting.

"I'm sorry for my rudeness Ma'am but I can't control this and it's really not comfortable." He sat back on the bed and took a deep breath. "Ma'am I really need someone to talk some sense into Dumbledore. Before the week is out, I'm leaving this house whether I have his permission or not."

"What?" The Gryffindor Head asked with a bit of surprise.

"I said I'm leaving. My life here has always been a case of sacrificing freedom and happiness for safety but with my current predicament that can't continue. I don't know if you've turned a blind eye to it or if you've just never known, but those... people I'm related to have never liked me. They despise me and take every opportunity to belittle and degrade me," Harry pointed at the locks on his door and the dilapidated furniture. "Can you imagine a defenseless young woman living with two bigger and stronger men who like nothing more than to degrade her? My relatives don't know about my predicament and if I refuse to let them. I will not submit myself to their depravity any longer."

To say that McGonagall was livid would be an understatement. For the first time he could remember, the usually prim and proper woman was down right enraged. "You most certainly will not! It's simply unthinkable. I told Albus that they were the worst sort of muggles. The very idea that you would be forced to stay here and risk not only your virtue but your sanity... It's almost enough to make me agree with the Death Eaters! We'll just have to move you to Headquarters at once."

"I can't do that either. Aside from the fact that certain order members take almost as much pleasure in tormenting me as my relatives, Unspeakable Smith would not be able to help me. He's not allowed to reveal his identity and Moody would have a fit if he couldn't check out each and every person he brought to look me over," James pointed out. "The Weasley twins have offered to rent me the spare bedroom in their flat over the shop. Merlin knows I can afford it and if we could convince Either Professor Flitwick or Dumbledore to put up a Fidelius charm it would be just as safe for me to be there as at Headquarters."

"As if anyone could be safe with the Weasley Twins," McGonagall retorted. "You'd be too exposed living at Diagon Alley, Dumbledore would never allow it. But I do have one other option that he might allow."

"I'm willing to listen," James said carefully, "but I do need to be able to see the Twins and Smith regularly."

"That won't be a problem," She promised him. "I have a small home outside of Helmsdale, not far from the coast. I'm sure I can convince Dumbledore to allow you to stay with me."

Harry was shocked, he honestly never saw it coming, "I don't want to be a bother Ma'am, and I certainly don't want to intrude on your privacy."

"Nonsense child, in all the years I've known you you've never been a bother. You've caused me more than enough headaches, that's true, but you've never bothered anyone unless it was truly important. In fact I've often wished I paid more attention when you tried to get my help, but not this time... Besides," She gave him a kind smile, "You're one of my little lions. You're practically family, but if you ever tell those Twins I said it I'll deny it to my dying day."

James couldn't think of anything to say. His mouth hung open for several seconds before he managed to get control of himself, "Uh... Thank you Ma'am. I really don't know what to say. Will I be able to use the Floo to visit my friends at Headquarters and the Twins at their shop?"

"So long as you tell me before you go somewhere I will have no problem with it. But I'll warn you, I've raised four boys of my own and been a teacher since before your parents' time. We'll agree to a curfew and you'll abide by it, I know all the tricks."

He nodded, "Yes Ma'am, I won't cause any trouble."

"We'll sort that out tonight, now what was the last favor you wanted to ask from me?"

James blushed a bit, he couldn't believe he had to do this. Jasmine prodded him in the back when he'd been silent a bit too long. "Well Professor, I've been thinking... No, that's not it... Argh, why can't I just say it? You see, it's like this, apparently I'm going to spend a lot of time as a woman over the next few months and I know there are things I don't understand, and I was kind of hoping..."

"Ah," McGonagall gave him another reassuring pat on the shoulder, "I'll find you one of the books I give other young ladies when they start experiencing changes. If after reading it you have any questions, no matter how embarrassing, you can ask me and I'll do my best to explain things. Now why don't you gather up your things and we'll get going."

"Yes Ma'am, but won't Dumbledore be upset with us?"

"You just leave him to me, I've got years of experience with Albus Dumbledore," She smiled smugly. "You just need to learn that while he will never admit that he's wrong, he will always forgive you for doing what you think is best anyway. I'll just tell him that this is the way it's going to be and he will just have to deal with it."

00000

A/N; So the Potter Twins gain some Allies but things do not go exactly according to plan. Who knew that Minerva McGonagall could be so motherly?


End file.
